


Redemption

by RosaPotentis



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Action, But he has to make the effort himself, Canon Compliant, Chair Sex, Cunnilingus, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enthusiastic Consent, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Force Bond (Star Wars), Gratuitous Smut, Humor, Inappropriate Use of the Force, Loss of Virginity, Love Confessions, Masturbation, Masturbation Interruptus, Mutual Masturbation, Oral Sex, Penis In Vagina Sex, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Save Ben Solo, Slightly Out Of Character, Slow Burn, Space Battles, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, mentioned stormpilot, more plot and feelings than I expected, sexual healing, unintended voyeurism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-02-22 23:13:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13177233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosaPotentis/pseuds/RosaPotentis
Summary: The Force bond is still there after the events of The Last Jedi, and only getting stronger. Though at first still enemies, Rey and Ben grow closer, and the galaxy becomes a little lighter.Spoilers for TLJ.* * *He sat and pulled the pieces of Kyber crystal toward him. “These are broken but they aren’t cracked. They’re still stable, so you shouldn’t have a problem using one. Even a cracked crystal can be made to work sometimes. I did with mine.” Ben abruptly turned to her, looking dumbfounded. “My lightsaber. In the throne room, you woke up first. You left my lightsaber. Actually, you put it back on my belt. Why didn’t you just kill me then?”Rey met his gaze evenly. “That would have been cheating. If I ever kill you, you'll be awake, you'll be facing me, and you'll be armed.”Ben’s mouth curled into the hint of a smile and he turned back to the project at hand. “Fair enough.”They worked long into the night, until they each faded from view. Before he disappeared, Rey thought she heard Ben say, “Good luck.”





	1. Fighting

The first time they saw each other after the battle of Crait, Rey almost shot him again. As it was her glare was so murderous and her hand on her blaster so steady that he took an unconscious step back, hand going to his lightsaber.

“Get out of my head. You are not welcome here, Kylo.”

He blinked in surprise; the sound of his chosen moniker had never been unpleasant before, but after hearing her use his given name for so long, the change was unwelcome. His hurt made him angry, and he spoke with the intent to injure.

“You know I have as little control over this as you do. You think I enjoy being around rebel scum without the ability to exterminate it?”

Rey curled her lip. “You’re pathetic. Why is this even happening? You killed your precious master, so how is this connection still open? Are you sure you aren’t doing it because you’re so desperate for attention?”

His temper, close to boiling on a good day, erupted. He leaned toward her, screaming in rage.

“How dare you! You can’t possibly stupid enough to believe that even Snoke was powerful enough to do that. Don’t cheapen what happened, it was too important, and I know you felt it too.”

Rey looked startled at this admission, but didn’t back down.

“I thought you could turn, I really did. But now I see that Ben Solo is truly dead, and all that is left is the monster that killed him. Even your mother thinks so.”

He looked as though he’d been slapped, and all of the rage left him, replaced with quiet hatred.

“I’m impressed. I didn’t think you could lie so well, or be intentionally cruel. You should have joined me when you had the chance. You have some dark in you after all.”

“None of what I said was a lie.”

“My mother gave up on me? How would you know? She’s dead.”

Comprehension dawned on Rey’s face, and she took pleasure in setting him straight.

“Yes, I heard that you tried to kill her. Blew up the bridge and killed all our leadership. But not the General. She’s stronger than you are.”

He lunged at her, face directly in hers, and without thinking put a hand to her head. As in the hut, they touched.

“Don’t lie to me!”

He saw flashes of images, Rey lifting rocks from the mouth of a cave, a dozen rebels spilling out. His mother. His mother and Rey in a ship he recognized as the Falcon, discussing the future of the rebellion. Rey held the broken pieces of lightsaber in her hands.

He sank to his knees in front of her, head hanging. When he spoke his voice was low and devoid of emotion, but his body trembled slightly.

“My mother is alive. I couldn’t kill her. I tried, I was going to, but I couldn’t do it. I felt her, I knew she knew I was there. And I couldn’t do it. And then another pilot blew up the bridge and I didn’t feel her anymore, or anything else. Until you. My mother’s alive.”

This last was no more than a whisper, and as he said it he began to fade, leaving Rey shocked.

When he finally looked up he was alone in his room, tears in his eyes but feeling lighter than he had in a long time.


	2. Nightmares

She heard him before she saw him. They had seen each other once since their last conversation, but had carefully ignored one another until the connection faded. Rey was just coming back from the bathroom after having a pee, and was desperate to get back to sleep. Endless training, meetings and attempts to repair her lightsaber left her exhausted every night. 

The noises she heard when she opened her door and the sight of him thrashing on the bed made her close the door quickly and stride to the bed. He was muttering and crying out incoherently and his whole body shook. He suddenly sat upright in bed, eyes wide and terrified, and screamed, “Nooo!”

He flung his hand out and his lightsaber came to meet it, igniting and filling the room with a hellish red glow. Rey grabbed her quarterstaff and dropped into a crouch, ready for an attack. They stared each other for a long moment, neither of them moving. His bare chest finally heaved and he took a long shuttering breath, lightsaber deactivating and falling into his lap, and he dropped his face into his hands. He sat there breathing deeply, shoulders quivering for a long minute. 

“Go away.” His voice was hoarse and pained.

“If I knew how to do that we would both be a lot happier. What happened?”

“I had a nightmare.”

Rey suppressed a sigh. “Obviously. I meant what happened IN the nightmare.”

“Nothing that would interest you.”

Rey sniffed and sat in her chair. She didn’t feel like getting back into bed with an enemy is still sitting in it. They sat in silence for a minute.

“Isn’t someone going to come check on you?”

He made a noise that might have been a laugh in another person. “No. Everyone is far too afraid of me, and hears my screaming far too often to care to check on me.”

“Oh. I know what you mean.”

He finally looked up at her, glaring. “You know what I mean? What about all your friends? They don’t care about you?”

Rey flushed slightly. “You can only have so many screaming nightmares before people stop worrying and start getting annoyed.” 

He sat there looking at her, unable to think of anything to say.  
“Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“Not really. Definitely not with you staring at me like that.”

She got up and moved to sit behind him on the bed, facing the other direction, and leaned her back against his. She felt his body stiffen but he didn’t move away. After a long time he spoke.

“All my dreams are about death. All that changes is who’s doing the killing.”

“It’s not always you?”

“No. Sometimes it’s me killing people. Sometimes people killing me. Sometimes people getting killed in front of me and I can’t do anything to stop it.”

“Just people? Or people you care about?”

“I’m not supposed to care about people. That’s one thing the Jedi and Dark users have in common.”

“See, I never understood that. It’s one of the strictest rules of the Jedi, to form no attachments. It never made sense to me. Caring about people gives you a reason to live and fight. So you’re not supposed to care about people, but you do? Who?”

He sighed heavily. “My father. My mother.” He paused, deciding whether to say the next words. “And you.” 

Ray tried to keep the surprise from her voice. “Oh. So what happened in this dream?”

“I really don’t want to talk about it.”

“Well, we’re both awake and not going anywhere anytime soon, so we might as well make use of it.”

He growled in frustration. “Fine. It was about Skywalker. I couldn’t move, and he killed you.”

This time Ray was surprised, and it showed. “Luke? Why would he want to kill me?”

“I thought he was going to. When he discovered us in the hut and blew it away and the connection ended, I thought he was coming to kill you. Like he tried to kill me.”

“But couldn’t you feel that I was still alive?”

“No. Your powers aren’t as strong when you, uh, have heightened emotions. I didn’t know you were alive until I saw you in the escape pod.”

“You didn’t? You were just in the hanger bay by coincidence?”

There was a long pause this time. When he finally spoke, he sounded deeply uncomfortable. “I was on my way to my ship. I was going to try to find you.”

Ray was stunned. “Ben…” she whispered.

His shoulders twitched against hers. “So, I’m Ben again?”

“We’ll see. For now. He didn’t try to kill me. We fought, but I started it. I wanted to know what really happened when he tried to kill you.”

“Oh yeah? And what did he say?” He couldn’t quite keep the sneer from his voice.

“He said he didn’t actually try to kill you.”

Ben snorted.

“All I know is what he told me. I don’t know if it’s true. But he said…” Rey leaned her head back against his, and let him see the memory of her standing over Skywalker, demanding that he tell her the truth. 

“I saw darkness. I'd sensed it building in him. I'd seen it in moments during his training. But then I looked inside, and it was beyond what I ever imagined. Snoke had already turned his heart. He would bring destruction, and pain, and death, and the end of everything I loved because of what he would become. And for the briefest moment of pure instinct, I thought I could stop it. It passed like a fleeting shadow. And I was left with shame, and with consequence. And the last thing I saw were the eyes of a frightened boy whose master had failed him.”

Ben said nothing. 

“What happened that night? After, I mean. What happened with the other students?”

“One of the students most loyal Skywalker saw him go to my tent, and saw me destroy it. She thought I killed him. So did I, to be fair. She and three others attacked me. The other eight came to my aid. Nine against four wasn’t a fair fight. We killed all of them. Then we left. Snoke must have sensed what happened because he picked us up almost immediately.”

“Eight of the students left with you? What happened to them?”

“Ah. We, uh, killed them. In the throne room.”

“Oh. I didn’t realize they were Jedi. They didn’t have lightsabers.”

“Snoke was fond of emulating the Sith. Since there were only two Sith at a time, he chose me as his apprentice, and destroyed the lightsabers of the others. They became his personal bodyguards. They weren’t happy about it. I’m sure they were looking forward to the opportunity to kill me. I never would have beaten them without you helping me.”

They were both silent for a while, breathing in sync. Rey was surprised at how relaxed she was, and almost felt like she could go to sleep like that. To prevent nodding off, she spoke again.

“So, you’ve had dreams about me? More than just this one?”

Ben’s voice was tense, like he was expecting an attack. “Yes. Why?”

“And it’s always about killing? That’s unpleasant.”

Ben turned around to look at her, surprise and confusion on his face. “What do YOU dream about?”

Rey sighed. “Mostly loneliness. Walking through an endless desert and not seeing another person anywhere. Walking through crowds of people and not being able to get anyone’s attention.”

“That sounds pretty awful too.”

Rey yawned hugely, jaw cracking. Ben immediately stood up.

“You’re tired. You should go to sleep. I’ll sit here until… until you’re gone.”

Rey smiled. “I’m never going to be able to fall asleep with you sitting there staring at me. Lie back down.”

Ben blinked at her, face perfectly blank. “What?”

“Lie down. The bed is big enough for both of us. At least mine is. You look like you could use the sleep too.” 

Rey stretched out on the bed, shifting the pillow so that they could share. After blinking a few more times Ben lay down, lying stiffly on his back, fingers laced behind his head, staring at the ceiling. Rey tutted and rolled on her side, resting her head on his shoulder and pulling the blankets over them both. Ben’s arm slowly came down around her shoulders, holding her close. They fell asleep in moments.

When they woke up they were alone, but neither had had any more nightmares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Explicit content coming in the next chapter, I promise! This one-shot turned into a much bigger story, with feelings and a plot and stuff. Terribly inconvenient.
> 
> Note: I don't have a beta reader, so if you notice any typos or inaccuracies (or tense problems! My biggest flaw*) please point them out. I appreciate constructive criticism. And if anyone wants to beta, let me know!
> 
> *My first degree is in screenwriting, which is all in present tense. For prose I prefer past tense, but I tend to slip back into present by mistake because I'm more used to it.


	3. Dreams

Rey felt like tearing her hair out. She had spent the better part of a month trying to construct a lightsaber from the wreckage of the old Skywalker blade, and even with the help of the Jedi texts she had made little progress. Fashioning the hilt was easy: it was rough and heavy like the center of her quarterstaff, and longer than the broken one had been. Even unfinished it was a formidable weapon. She had all the other pieces required, the power cells, circuits, and activators. 

The problem lay in the Kyber crystal. When the Skywalker blade had broken in two, so had the crystal. Fortunately it had broken cleanly rather than shattering, but the irregular shape now made the crystal difficult to align properly. While the texts warned that a poorly aligned crystal could cause the lightsaber to explode, it made no mention of how to do it properly. The borrowed droid she was using to precisely place the crystal was not delicate enough to do the work. She was well and truly stuck.

Rey flung herself across her desk, dropping her head into her arms and muffling her frustrated scream. She sighed deeply and tried to calm herself. Maybe she was just tired. A nap would help. As she closed her eyes her ears began to ring and she raised her head again to find Ben standing next to her, his forehead creased with concern.

“Did you just scream? What happened?”

Rey huffed a laugh. “It’s nothing. I’m just… feeling defeated, I guess. I’m trying to fix, well, remake the lightsaber, and I can’t. The texts aren’t helpful, and I don’t have anyone to learn from. Maybe Luke was right. This is the end of the Jedi.”

Ben spread his hands and looked at her significantly. Rey’s face brightened like the rising sun.

“You! You made your lightsaber, didn’t you?” She suddenly looked apprehensive. “Wait, are we still enemies? Would you help me or sabotage me?”

Ben looked wounded and placed a hand on his chest. “I would never! I would only ever kill you in a fair fight.”

Rey threw back her head and laughed, then standing, offered Ben her seat. 

“Then, maestro, if you please.”

He smirked and sat. “What are you having trouble with? The crystal? Oh, it broke. Interesting. You should still be able to use one of the pieces, you’ll just have more difficulty aligning it.”

Rey sighed. “Yes, I’d gotten that far. I’ve been trying to use this medical droid to place the crystal, but it isn’t sensitive enough.”

Ben snorted. “You can’t use a droid. You have to feel it.”

“What?”

“Use the Force. You have to have an intimate knowledge of what you are working with, know every facet of the crystal like you know your own body, to be able to place it properly. You have to bond with it. Your lightsaber is an extension of you.”

As he spoke he turned to look at her, and when he said ‘your own body’ he ran his eyes over hers, at first appraising and then obviously slowing in appreciation. When he finished he met her eyes and she was shocked to see a gleam in his that she hadn’t seen since their ride in the Supremacy’s elevator. Her mouth went dry and she swallowed, all words escaping her. Ben reached out and ran one finger down her side, from ribs to hip. His voice became deeper and quieter.

“Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?”

He rested his hand gently on her hip, not pulling her to him but not letting go either. She moved as if on autopilot, stepping towards him, then carefully sitting in his lap, straddling his hips. Ben’s eyes widened and his breath quickened. Rey had no idea what was possessing her to do any of this but she slid the fingers of both hands deep into his glossy hair, which was just as soft as it looked. His eyes closed and he hummed quietly. 

She took the opportunity and gently pressed her lips to his. They both froze, eyes shut tight, terrified of making the first move. Finally Rey opened her mouth slightly and ran the tip of her tongue across his bottom lip. 

It was as though her action had electrified him. Ben pulled her hips tight against his and held her to his chest, deepening the kiss. She shifted slightly and moaned at the feeling of him already hardening against her core. She broke the kiss and words tumbled from her mouth of their own volition. 

“Please! Ben, I need you to touch me.”

He pulled his head back and looked at her closely, lips red and face flushed. Satisfied with what he saw he waved a hand, and her top flew across the room, baring her chest to him. Together they moaned as he dropped his mouth to her chest, taking one nipple between his lips and grinding his hips into hers. She groaned in pleasure.

“Ben!”

Ben’s head snapped up, staring at her in shock. “Rey. What the… Rey, wake up.”

Rey raised her head from her desk and met Ben’s eyes from across the room, where he lay on her bed, propped up on his elbows, looking stunned. She covered her mouth with her hands, wishing she could sink into the floor and never be heard from again. She was hoping beyond hope that he had only heard her say his name.

“Please tell me you didn’t see that.”

He cleared his throat, sitting up and casually pulling her pillow into his lap. “Uh, yeah. I did. Was that your dream or mine?” 

She laughed nervously, running her hands through her hair. She was still deeply aroused and the sight of him shirtless in her bed, again, was not helping matters. 

“I don’t know. Can we share dreams now?”

He shrugged. They sat in silence, trying not to meet each other’s gaze. When Rey felt like screaming again from the tension Ben spoke.

“So, you needed help fixing your lightsaber?”

Rey’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t believe that he was willing to let this go – she had been sure he would tease her somehow. “Yes, please.”

They stood and she offered him her seat, trying not to think about what had happened after she did that in her, their, dream. He sat and pulled the pieces of Kyber crystal toward him.

“These are broken but they aren’t cracked. They’re still stable, so you shouldn’t have a problem using one. Even a cracked crystal can be made to work sometimes. I did with mine.” Ben abruptly turned to her, looking dumbfounded. “My lightsaber. In the throne room, you woke up first. You left my lightsaber. Actually, you put it back on my belt. Why didn’t you just kill me then?”

Rey met his gaze evenly. “That would have been cheating. If I ever kill you, you'll be awake, you'll be facing me, and you'll be armed.”

Ben’s mouth curled into the hint of a smile and he turned back to the project at hand. “Fair enough.”

They worked long into the night, until they each faded from view. Before he disappeared, Rey thought she heard Ben say, “Good luck.”


	4. Evolution

Since helping Rey with her lightsaber Ben had appeared twice. The first time he was in a towering rage. Rey listened, half terrified, half amused as he bellowed about General Hux and his lack of obedience.

“He undermines my authority at every moment! I spend more of my time ensuring that he is terrified enough to obey my orders than I do anything else! I should just kill him and make an example, but he’s the only one with a brain.”

Ben sighed heavily and collapsed into the chair, anger almost visibly seeping from him, to be replaced with exhaustion. “I didn’t think this would be so difficult. I thought that by killing Snoke I could simply take over and turn the First Order in the direction I wanted. I underestimated Hux’s hatred of me. And overestimated his fear.”

Rey was not remotely sympathetic to his tribulations, and she told him so. “I can’t seem to find it in me to care about how difficult it is for you to take over the galaxy, somehow. Although you really must be tired. I hear genocide really takes it out of you.”

Ben pulled a face at her. “See, that’s exactly why you should care. That’s what Hux wants. He’s a fascist through and through, and would probably prefer to be the only person in the galaxy. He definitely wants to be the supreme ruler of everything.”

Rey raised her eyebrows, unimpressed. “Isn’t that what you want too?”

Ben looked genuinely surprised and offended. “No! Not at all. I told you that.”

“When?”

“When I asked you to join me. I said I wanted to bring an end to the First Order, the Jedi, the Resistance and bring everything to balance. No evil, no self-righteous good, just people. Flawed maybe, but natural.”

Rey stared at him, uncomfortable. “I don’t remember you saying that. I remember you saying that I was nothing, but that you wanted me to rule the galaxy with you. You never really explained why.”

Ben winced. “I did say that. That was… definitely a poor choice of words. I was trying to say that you didn’t have important parents, but you are still important… No, never mind. It was a terrible thing to say. I’m sorry.”

Rey could not have been more shocked if Finn and Poe had announced their engagement through song and dance. Ben cleared his throat and looked at his feet. “I also don’t want to rule anything. I don’t really know why I said that. Maybe to make the offer more enticing? Ruling the galaxy sounds better than retiring to be a moisture farmer, doesn’t it?”

This was one insane statement too many and Rey dissolved into giggles, the first time she had really let go and laughed in a long time. Ben tried to keep his face composed, but his eyes crinkled and his mouth twitched. “You have a nice laugh.”

Rey got herself under control and smiled at him. “I wish I could say the same to you, but I’ve never heard you laugh. I’ve never even seen you smile, not really.” Ben’s face fell a little and she hurried to change the subject. “So, you want balance, not the First Order ruling the galaxy, and you don’t want to be in charge, you want to be a farmer.”

She couldn’t keep the grin off her face at that image, but her face became serious as her next train of thought arrived, words coming slowly. “Why destroy the New Republic, then? It wasn’t perfect, but it was democratic, and they weren’t killing anybody.” As the implications settled in she shifted away from him. “Whole planets destroyed. Millions of people. How could you do that?”

Ben’s face turned stony, but when he spoke she realized it was not her he was angry with. “That was not my idea. If Hux had suggested it to me before we were both with Snoke, I would have killed him for it. Which is precisely why he didn’t. By the time I realized what he was planning, the only way to stop it would have been to kill them both, which was not an option at the time.”

His reflection turned inward and he seemed to forget she was in the room. “I should have done something. I almost… I almost left then. But the droid had been found and I was… blinded, by hate. I was consumed by the need to kill Skywalker, and so I did nothing.”

His voice was so filled with self-loathing that she moved instinctively and laid her hand on his arm. He jumped at the contact, remembering that she was there, and stared at the place where their bodies were connected. Then his gaze moved to her face and he eyed her warily. “Are you doing this? Are you in my head again, making me say things I’ve barely even thought before?”

Rey dropped her hand immediately and stood. Coldly, she said, “Maybe you just aren’t used to treating another person like an equal. For the record, this is what friends do. They listen to each other and try not to judge. Or accuse.”

Ben had the grace to look ashamed but before he could say anything else, he faded from view. “Kriff!” Rey snapped. “Boys.”

* * *

The second time she had seen him was almost as bad as when he barged into her dream. She was late for a meeting with General Organa and was rushing to change, hopping up and down on one foot while pulling on a boot, which would have been fine if she had put her shirt on first. When Ben materialized before her his back was mercifully turned, but her shriek of surprise made him whip around at once. He took in her state of undress in an instant, eyes opening wide, and turned around again, fists clenched at his sides and the back of his neck turning bright red.

“Kriffing Sithspit, Ben!” Rey grabbed her shirt and yanked it over her head, almost missing the noise he made in response to her language, which she decided must have been a cough. When her head emerged she saw his shoulders were shaking, but she was too frazzled to investigate. “Sorry, I have to run. I’m late for a meeting with… your mother.”

Ben turned, face red and eyes shining, and waved one hand carelessly. “Don’t worry about it. Although this makes us even, I think.” Rey huffed in exasperation and ran out the door, hearing him cough again as it slammed. Maybe he was getting sick. As she ran down the hall she put it from her mind, and by the time she got back, he was gone.

* * *

Two nights later Rey was washing up before bed when the buzzing began, so she was not surprised when she heard Ben’s breathing fill the room. Her face was buried in a towel and at first she thought he must be having another nightmare, given the noises he was making. She turned quickly, ready to wake him, and froze. If he was dreaming, it certainly wasn’t a bad one.

He lay sprawled across the bed, eyes tightly closed. He was completely naked, the sheets tangled around his thighs. And he had his cock in his hand, stroking slowly. Rey quickly backed into a corner, trying to move out of sight in a room barely large enough to swing a lightsaber. She was horrified at the idea of invading anyone’s privacy like this, and she tried not to listen to the sounds of pleasure coming from Ben’s lips. She was as unsuccessful at this as she was in telling herself that she wasn’t instantly and painfully aroused.

This was not the first time she had seen a naked man, not even the first time she had seen one performing this particular activity (Niima outpost was neither civilized nor safe), but she had never struggled to not watch before. Her mind raced – the longer she took to say something, the worse this would be, but how to interrupt him and allow them to both keep some dignity? While her mind furiously churned and she kept her eyes fixed on the ceiling, Ben’s breathing became harsher and his moans when straight to her groin. She absently pressed a hand between her legs for some relief and shuddered at the sensation.

She glanced back down again. His eyes were squeezed shut, his forehead creased in concentration, and his lower lip between his teeth. For some reason, it was this last that was her undoing. Head spinning, she decided that since he hadn’t opened his eyes yet, he probably wouldn’t until he finished. Besides, it would be rude and embarrassing to interrupt him. Once he was done, she could pretend that she had only just seen him.

Already standing in a shadowed corner, she leaned against the wall and slid her hand beneath her waistband. Her eyes closed involuntarily and she trembled at the sensation. It had been a long time since she was relaxed enough and had the desire to touch herself. He fingers circled her clit methodically, no time for drawing out the pleasure now. She opened her eyes and let herself enjoy the view, conscious of the fact that she would not have it again.

The rest of his body was as pale and well-muscled as his chest, with strong thighs and a waist narrower than she realized. In this position, with no hint of anger on his face and body relaxed, she fully appreciated how attractive he was. Maybe not conventionally so, but with a mouth that begged to be kissed. Head thrown back as it was, she got her first glimpse of his ears, and even in the midst of her pleasure she smiled and finally understood why a man in such a regimented army had long, wavy hair.

By then they were both breathing heavily, Rey doing her best to be as quiet as possible. She could feel her release speeding toward her, and she didn’t think Ben would be far behind her. She shuddered when he spoke, hearing the words as though he was breathing them directly into her ear. “Oh, Force” he moaned, right hand sliding up his leg to grip the top of his thigh tightly, exactly where she had held on for balance as they fought the Praetorian guards. His whole body began to shake and his next word came out as a breathless gasp. “Rey!”

The sound of her name on his lips shocked her orgasm out of her, and she came so hard and so suddenly that she couldn’t stifle her moan of release. Ben’s eyes flew open and found her face at once, staring at her in complete shock, his body frozen. She trembled under the force of his gaze, fingers still sliding across her clit, riding out her orgasm, too blissed out at the moment to be embarrassed. Ben’s eyes dropped to her waist and widened when he saw what she was doing. He exhaled so loudly he sounded winded, his hand stroking his cock again, eyes never leaving her. His whole body shuddered and his back arched as he came, head falling back on the pillow with a whimper. They stayed like that for a minute, breathing hard, bodies still trembling from aftershocks, not meeting each other’s eyes.

As Rey came down from her high she felt the shame begin to creep in. She would have been humiliated if he had caught her touching herself – had been mortified when he saw her dream. What little trust they had built again would surely now be shattered, and he would never let her into his confidence again. Rey felt tears sting her eyes at the thought of losing his companionship over such a rash, selfish decision.

Ben cleared his throat and she finally looked up at him. Instead of the rage and embarrassment she expected, she saw only surprise, and his mouth twitched like he was trying not to smile. “Well,” he said lazily, his voice deeper than usual, “this changes things.”

Rey opened her mouth to speak and he faded away, the image lasting just long enough to see him frown in frustration. She was alone in her room again and staggered to her bed, falling onto it and trembling. She had never felt that aroused before, and her body was still on fire. With the thought of him pleasuring himself and gasping her name, she again brought herself to completion, and this time it was her turn to moan his name as she came.

Millions of miles away, Ben lay in his bed, wishing he had been able to say more before their connection was broken. As he turned onto his side to sleep he heard Rey’s voice cry out in ecstasy, as clearly as if she was lying in bed with him. “Ben!” His heart leapt and he smiled to himself as he fell asleep.


	5. Coupling

Rey let out a slow breath, trying to calm her nerves. She was giddy with excitement, but had an underlying layer of terror. Her lightsaber was finished. She had left the rebel base and gone deep into the forest so that she could be alone the first time she activated the weapon. She was reasonably confident that everything had been done properly, but in the event things went horribly wrong and she blew herself up, she didn’t want to take anyone else with her. She had debated leaving a note on her desk for Finn to find in case something happened, but it seemed too morbid.

She sat cross-legged on the forest floor, eyes closed, breathing slowly. She felt the balance of the world around her and the Force connecting it all. Eyes still closed, she stretched out her hands to the lightsaber and ignited it. The familiar whoosh and blaze of light she saw through her eyelids was encouraging, and she continued to sit for a few seconds, relief flooding through her. She finally opened her eyes and inspected her lightsaber. Steady blue light lit the trees around her, and the system was stable. It had worked. Tears of gratitude stung her eyes and she mentally thanked all the masters, dead and alive, who had helped her complete her task.

Rey practiced with her new weapon long into the night, getting a feel for the weight and balance, only returning to the base when the sky began to lighten. Elated with her success she lay in bed, smiling at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Knowing that she had only a few more hours before the day began, and that she would regret it later if she didn’t get any sleep, she reached under the bed for the small tube of gel she kept there. Not for the first time she was grateful for her nightmares, which had quickly ensured that she had her own room in the crowded base, tiny though it was. She was afforded privacy few others had.

Fingers slick, she slid her hand beneath her waistband. The forest moon was warm even at night, and she usually slept in nothing but a sleeveless shirt and underwear. She sighed as she began to stroke herself, relaxing into the pillow and letting her mind clear. Rather than going blank, however, the image of Ben, naked and moaning, came to her as though it had been waiting. She groaned quietly and closed her eyes, trying to remember exactly how he had looked and sounded the last time she saw him. She palmed one breast through her thin shirt as her body started to tingle, and she missed the ringing in her ears.

“Um…”

Rey yelped and rolled out of bed. Peeking back up over the edge she saw Ben laying on his side facing her, biting his lip hard and eyes twinkling. Rey groaned and buried her face in the mattress.

“Yeah, I know. We're even again. This is getting ridiculous.”

There was amusement in his voice, and a husky quality that made her stomach flutter. “That looks like an uncomfortable place to sit. Come back up here.” Rey, leaving embarrassment behind, complied. Not quite meeting Ben’s eyes she climbed back into bed, lying on her side to leave some space between them and tucked her hands under her chin.

“Did I interrupt you? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” Rey shot him a glare. “You can…” here he finally blushed, nerve failing him. “You can finish, if you want to.”

Rey stared at him, mouth open. In the two weeks since she had caught him pleasuring himself she had thought about it daily, but never truly considered that it might happen again. She assumed it would end up being an awkward memory they avoided talking about in order to preserve their friendship. She certainly enjoyed the memory, but she had no idea if he did. His suggestion both surprised and excited her.

“You want me to? You want to see me…”

He gazed at her with open affection. “Rey. I think we’ve passed the point where you can pretend we aren’t attracted to each other.”

She blushed and looked away, focusing on a snag in her sheets. “I didn’t know you thought that. I mean,” her face reddened even more and her voice dropped to a whisper, “I heard you say my name, but I didn’t think…”

“Rey.” The firmness in his voice brought her gaze back up to his face, and he spoke with deadly seriousness. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I would love to watch you…” his voice trailed off, as he carefully considered his next words.

“Oh”, was all Rey could manage, heart somewhere in the vicinity of her throat.

Ben’s next words came out in a rush, like he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to say them if he took his time. “I’d love to help you if you’d let me.” His face tensed like he expected an attack. Rey’s mind reeled. It was like every fantasy she had conjured up in the past fortnight was coming true all at once. She didn’t know what she was going to say until she heard herself whisper, “yes, please.”

Ben stared at her in astonishment, clearly convinced he hadn’t heard her properly. She smiled slightly and raised her hand, inviting him to touch it. “Do you think you can?” 

“I would happily die trying.”

Still looking poleaxed, he raised his hand to hers and slowly touched her fingers with his own. They both gasped at the contact, as they had the first time, marveling at the power of their connection. Ben ran his fingers down her arm until he reached her shoulder, and stopped. Not taking her eyes from his face, she moved his hand slowly down her chest. His eyes closed and he swallowed hard, opening them again when his fingers reached the apex of her thighs. Rey rolled to her back and looked up at him, smiling in encouragement.

“I should tell you now, I probably won’t be very good. I’ve never done this before.” His cheeks burned, but he looked her stoically in the eyes.

“Neither have I.”

The first genuine smile she had ever seen from him broke across his face, and he simply looked at her for a moment, utterly happy. Then he quickly bent his head and captured her lips with his own. It was very like their first kiss in her dream. He froze in surprise for a moment, but deepened the kiss with gusto when she licked at his mouth and ran her fingers through his hair. Sloppy and inexperienced though it was, they both trembled with passion. Rey had forgotten where Ben’s hand was until he slipped his hand into her underwear and ran one finger gently up her sex.

She abruptly broke their kiss, back arching, and moaned so loudly she surprised herself. His eyes widened in amazement as he did it again with the same result. “Oh wow”, he breathed. “Can you show me how you touch yourself? I really want to make you feel good.”

Rey laughed softly and took his hand, squeezing some gel onto his fingers. The look of reverence on his face as she pulled her underwear down her legs was the best compliment she had ever received. She took his hand again and brought it to her core, moving the pad of one of his fingers in a slow circle around her clitoris, making her shiver.

“Right here to start with. Make sure your fingers are very slippery. Circles, not too hard. Slowly at first, but you can speed up later. Like you do with yourself.” She grinned at him with the last statement. 

He was a fast learner, and very soon she was breathing hard and her eyes were shut tight. She had a hard time opening them again when he spoke. “Is this all you do? Do you want me to touch you anywhere else?”

Wordlessly she moved his hand lower and slipped one of his long fingers into her core. They both groaned, and Rey felt him thrust himself lightly against her hip, rock hard. “Now, curl your finger up a little, towards my belly. A little lower, oh! Yes, there!” She wasn’t able to do more than gasp as he gently thrust his finger into her, hitting the same spot every time.

“How do I do both of those things at the same time? Do you do that?”

Rey had a hard time forming sentences. “Uh, yeah. I use both, both hands.”

“Hmm.” She looked up at him to see him frowning thoughtfully, and almost jumped out of bed again when he scooted down, bringing his face level with her groin. He met her eyes, asking permission. “Is this ok?” She nodded mutely, not quite sure what he had in mind, and had to clap a hand over her mouth as he brought his face down, kissing her mound. He exposed her clit with his free hand and carefully licked it, chuckling as this sent her arching off the bed. 

He settled in, gently licking up and down her clit, and curling his finger against that spot inside her, making her see stars. It took him a minute to find a rhythm, but soon he was licking and thrusting in tandem. She had both hands buried in his hair and had a hard time suppressing a wail when he slid a second finger into her. She noticed vaguely that he was grinding his hips into the bed, and that she seemed to be able to feel his pleasure in addition to her own.

In a surprisingly short time she could feel herself nearing the edge, and tugged his hair lightly to alert him. “Ben, please, I’m gonna…” His hand and tongue both sped up at her words, and a few seconds later the base of her spine exploded in electric heat, rushing to the roots of her hair and the tips of her toes. She heard his moans mingle with hers as she clamped her thighs around his ears, and felt a second explosion of pleasure as he thrust once more into the mattress and shuddered. 

They lay there for a minute, trembling and gasping, as she stroked his hair and he slowly slid his fingers in and out of her. Gradually they both stilled, looking at each other in amazement. To her surprise, Rey found her voice first.

“That was incredible. Did you…?”

“Yeah. I felt you and that made me…” Ben gave a full body shiver and pulled his fingers gently out of her, making her clench at the loss. He moved up her body and kissed her gently, and she thought she had never been so happy in her entire life. He lay down next to her and pulled her close, tucking her head under his chin so that her lips brushed his chest with every breath. Every so often his body trembled, and she wondered if he was feeling aftershocks the same as she was.

Finally Ben took a deep breath and spoke. “I can’t remember the last time I felt this… peaceful. Not in a long time, anyway. Maybe never.” Rey snuggled closer to him but didn’t interrupt. “It’s true that I had Darkness in me when I was Skywalker’s student. I was angry all the time, usually for no reason, and at night I heard hateful whispers. That was Snoke, I think. I was angry at Skywalker for being a hard teacher instead of the kind uncle he had been before I became his student. Angry at the other students for not being as quick to learn as I was.

Angry at my parents for sending me away to another planet to train, and for acting like I didn’t know that my father was going to leave as soon as I did. They weren’t happy, it was obvious, but they treated me like a child and said nothing. So yes, I was angry, and Skywalker saw it. But he was still my teacher, and my uncle. When I woke up that night and saw him, it felt like he had already run his lightsaber through my chest. I was afraid, and that let the rage come out, and let Snoke in. 

If he hadn’t found us so quickly I might have… resisted. But he already had us when I found out Skywalker was alive, and he helped convince me, not that it took much effort, that my parents had sent me to my uncle so that he could kill me. After that my only desire was to destroy Skywalker, but he had disappeared. That obsession grew until it was my whole world, and I didn’t care who else got hurt along the way. I’ve done horrible things, Rey. Many I hope you never know about. All I wanted was Skywalker dead.

And now he is. I felt him… after we fought. And it brought me no satisfaction. The one thing I had worked for, for years, had happened, and I was no more at peace than I had been when he first raised his weapon against me. I thought all the rage and hate made me powerful, but it didn’t. I was just as scared and alone as I had been before.” He breathed slowly, collecting his thoughts. “I don’t feel that way now. Something about you, about this connection, changed that.” 

Rey lay there in silence, stroking his back with her fingers, dumbfounded at this flood of honesty and reflection. After a while he spoke again, so quietly it took her a moment to decipher his words. When she had, she reared her head back to stare at him in shock. Even as she did so, he began to fade; leaving her alone in her room with the base coming alive around her, his last statement ringing in her ears as though he had shouted it. “You make me feel strong. I thought love would make me weak.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!   
> It might be a little bit until I finish this: what was going to be one more chapter became two, and will require a change in perspective. I hope you like it so far! Again, please leave a comment if you find a typo or inconsistency, or if I get some detail of the SW universe wrong (I have done more research for this story than I have for any other I've done - it's definitely taken on a life of its own).


	6. Defection

Ben had just a glimpse of Rey’s stunned expression before she faded away, and his arms held only air. He let out a long, shaky breath and covered his face with his hands. His chin was still slick with her essence. He rose from the bed and went to the sink, regretting that he needed to rid himself of this lingering evidence of their encounter. After washing and drying his face he glanced up, catching sight of himself in the mirror. He stared at his reflection for a long time, absently tracing the scar on his face with one finger; a finger that, minutes ago, had been pleasuring the woman who had given him that wound.

He came back to life sharply, resolved, heart beating rapidly at the enormity of his decision. He moved to the center of the room and sat, legs crossed and eyes closed, and reached out.

“Mother.”

He was hit with a wave of shock and fury, and knew he had reached her. “Mother, I have information for you.”

“I don’t want to talk to the creature who killed my son. And his father. Leave me.” 

Ben took a deep breath. “I want to give you information on the location of a First Order base, and how to destroy it. I will sabotage the systems from here to make it easier for your fleet.” Her response was a feeling of confusion and distrust. “I want to come home.”

He felt pain flare through his chest and knew it was hers, even as his eyes filled with tears. “You have no reason to believe me, I know that. After I disable the base I will meet you in another location, and surrender. You can do whatever you want after that, but if you let me, I will pilot a ship and help with the attack.”

“You trust me enough to surrender to me, alone, while I have an armed force at my back?”

“Of the two of us, you have never betrayed a family member.”

There was a long silence, and he felt her emotions battling. Finally, “How much time do you need?”

He sighed in relief, not realizing until then how badly he needed her to agree. “Three hours to shut the systems down and make the trip.” He gave her the coordinates for a nearby planet with a deserted Imperial base.

“You still need to prove that you can be trusted. I’ll let you decide how.”

“I have one condition. Do not let Rey come. I know she is a skilled pilot, and would probably be useful, but you must leave her behind.”

He felt her understanding beginning to sink in, and hurried to end the conversation. “This is not the main base, but it is well protected, so bring a decent force. There is a Dreadnought. I trust that pilot of yours can execute a better plan of attack than last time.”

He felt a stab of irritation. “Three hours. Rey will not be there. For your sake, you better be convincing.” His sense of her vanished, leaving him exhausted. It had taken more effort than he had anticipated to communicate with her. There was no time to rest, however, and he dressed quickly and left the room, not bothering to take a final look. One way or another, he would never see it again.

* * * 

When Ben arrived at the meeting place, a lone X-wing was in orbit. His heart sank momentarily, but it was quickly obvious that this was a lookout. Within a minute of his TIE Silencer appearing, a dozen more X-wings popped into existence, along with (his chest tightened), The Millennium Falcon. He flew toward the planet, the X-Wings surrounding him but maintaining a safe distance.

He landed at the far end of the hanger, and stayed by his ship while the rest arrived. Last was The Falcon, which landed at the mouth of the hanger, guns pointed directly at him. He saw the ramp lower and even from a distance he recognized his mother. Ben’s mouth went suddenly dry and he felt his nerve waver. He was far less afraid of all those guns than he was of facing the General.

He walked slowly towards the group of pilots, feeling far less imposing without his usual attire. He had had to dress normally when he left the base, or he would have aroused suspicion, but he had left his cape, gloves and jacket in the ship. Best to look like he was making an effort, but he felt practically naked in just a shirt and trousers. His lightsaber was a comforting weight on his thigh. By now he was close enough for some of the rebels to recognize him, and he stopped.

Ben would have known that his mother had kept the source of her information secret based solely on the expressions of the people behind her, even without the hint of the multiple blasters he suddenly found pointed at his head. He recognized the resistance pilot he had tortured for information, and FN2187, standing shoulder to shoulder, looking deadly. They had been the first to draw their weapons, though the rest had quickly followed suit.

Ben quickly raised his hands, laced them behind his head, and knelt on the ground. This earned him raised eyebrows, but not lowered weapons. The General stepped forward, stern and wary. “Well, here you are. And you seem to be alone. Now, convince me.”

Ben had spent the past three hours thinking about how he might do just that, and had come up with only one possibility. He slowly lowered his hands and removed his lightsaber from his belt, and lifted it to float in front of his face. All the pilots tensed, and even his mother recoiled slightly. He waved his right hand and sent the lightsaber in an unhurried arc across the hanger and outside, keeping a far distance from The Falcon. He took a deep breath and concentrated, pushing all the power he could muster through his hands in the direction of his most prized possession.

The lightsaber began to tremble, and then glow, and with one final burst of effort it exploded, pieces of metal raining down all over the landing strip. Everyone had turned to watch the spectacle and jumped; even Ben had not expected the destruction of a lightsaber to be quite so impressive. The rebels turned back to look at him, expressions ranging from impressed to shocked. After a moment of consideration General Organa walked forward and held out her hand. He swallowed hard, forcing back tears, took her hand, and stood.

Leia did not embrace her son, but she did squeeze his hand, which felt like the same thing. He cleared his throat, which was suddenly tight, and spoke. “Alright, here is my plan. When I left the Dreadnought I told my general I was visiting another base and to expect me to return in a few hours. I have deactivated the shields and hyperdrive for the ship, as well as most of the communications. I altered memories of the technicians in charge of those operations so that they will not do their routine checks. Unless someone got curious, they should still be disabled.

"I also programmed the Dreadnought to turn toward the base on the nearby moon and make for it, with a timer set for four hours. That gives us,” he checked the timer on his wrist, “37 minutes until it begins moving. The general will not take long to figure out that they have been sabotaged, so I suggest we wait to attack until just before that time. You,” here he turned to Poe, who still had not lowered his blaster but was looking interested. “had the right idea about attacking the last Dreadnought, but the execution could have been better.

"Since they are expecting my return I suggest that I, in my ship, be the one to take out the surface cannons. You all, except The Falcon, jump to that location two minutes after I do. When they send out the attack squad we will all keep them busy. The Falcon will jump in one minute after you, position itself over the center of the Dreadnought, and drop a bomb from the hatch. By then the Dreadnought will be on course for the base, and will hopefully obliterate most of it when it crashes. We will mop up the survivors.”

Ben turned to his mother and waited for questions. Poe was the first to speak. “It took a few hundred bombs to take out that first Dreadnought, and we don’t have any firepower like that with us.”

Ben nodded to his ship. “I brought one, rather large explosive. It should be sufficient. It is quite effective, but unwieldy, which is why we haven’t used them. Dropping it through a door is indelicate, but will get the job done.”

Poe actually grinned at this, and holstered his weapon. “It’s a good plan. Provided he isn’t leading us into a trap, and the surface cannons don’t get him before he can shoot them all, this may work.”

General Organa nodded and sent a team to take the bomb from Ben’s Silencer and load it into The Falcon. He saw Poe and the former Stormtrooper talking in low voices and glancing at him frequently. He got the impression that they were close, and was not particularly surprised when, at the end of their discussion, they embraced and kissed. He smiled to himself – Captain Phasma would have been livid to know that one of her soldiers was so inclined. Facing his mother, and seeming to earn her respect if not affection, had made him buoyant, so on a whim he strode towards the two men, who didn’t draw their weapons again but looked like they were considering it.

“I have met the two of you before, but under rather poor circumstances.” The men glanced at each other and smirked. “Well, yes. I wanted to introduce myself properly, and to apologize. I have no excuse for what I did, but I am being genuine when I say that I am choosing to be a different person. Kylo Ren is dead. I am Ben… Solo.” His voice choked on the last word. It had been many years since that name had passed his lips.

The pilot considered him for a long moment and then nodded at his partner. “This is Finn. I’m Poe Dameron. If we all make it through this, we can think about accepting that apology.”

Ben smiled gratefully, nodded, and turned to leave. As an afterthought, he gestured to his clothes and asked “Does anyone have anything else I can wear?”

Finn’s eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline and Poe’s face twitched violently before he said “I’m not sure they make flight suits big enough to fit a wookie, but I’ll check.” They walked quickly toward The Falcon and Ben heard Finn roar with laughter. Ben snorted. At least if they were teasing him they weren’t completely terrified. He turned back to his ship and almost tripped over the woman standing right behind him. She had her arms folded and was glaring fiercely, which should have looked funny on someone so small, but was actually a little intimidating.

“I’m Rose. I’m friends with Rey. She seems to think there’s some good in you. You better not prove her wrong.” Not waiting for a response she stalked away.

A little shaken, Ben returned to his ship. The bomb had been loaded into The Falcon and everyone was preparing to depart. His timer read twelve minutes until The Dominance turned to the First Order base. Nine minutes until he jumped back to it, and either crippled it or was killed in the process. He desperately wanted to say something to Rey, but any contact would let her know something was wrong. For the first time, he was pleased that the last thing he had told her was that he loved her.

As he prepared to board his mother came over to him, carrying a bright orange bundle. She looked far older than he would have imagined, but it had been over a decade since he had last seen her, and a hard one at that. She considered him for a long moment, unemotional (but then, she never had been), and finally held out the flight suit. “Poe said you wanted this. Your call sign is on there. You’re Red Seven. I hope you aren’t about to betray us all. Once the fight is over, whoever is left will meet back here. Then we can discuss your return.”

Ben took the suit without a word and the General began to walk back to The Falcon. “Mother.” She froze. “May the Force be with you.” She nodded, not looking at him, and strode away. He saw one hand wipe across her face as he stepped behind his Silencer to change. The suit definitely wasn’t big enough for a wookie, and barely even fit him (tight across the shoulders and chest, and rode up uncomfortably in the groin) but it wasn’t black. He wanted Hux to know exactly what was happening when he attacked.

* * *

All the rebel ships moved out of the planet’s atmosphere and their communications crackled into life. Poe’s voice in his ear said “Red leader standing by. Ren seven, prepare to make the jump to lightspeed. Sorry, RED seven, prepare to make your jump.” Ben could hear the other pilots snickering, and General Organa barked “Commander Dameron, do not make me demote you again.” Ben shook his head and checked his timer. A little over three minutes. Time to go.

“Red seven, making the jump. See you in a minute.” He engaged the hyperdrive, and after a jarring moment of incredible speed, he was back, facing The Dominance. Ben took one long, slow breath, and flew toward the ship. An ensign’s voice came over the radio.

“We have you on our screen, please identify.”

Ben used his nastiest voice, the one that still made Hux cringe. “This is your Supreme Leader. Am I permitted to approach my own ship?” He could practically see the man shrink in fear.

“Yes sir, of course, sir. TIE silencer carrying Supreme Leader now in approach. Welcome back, sir.”

Ben rolled his eyes and made straight for the nose of the Dreadnought. Just as he reached it he dropped the silencer to a few feet above the surface, banked left, and increased speed until the ship below him was almost a blur. He took aim and fired, shooting one surface cannon after another, the explosions filling his periphery with an orange glow. He was moving so fast that he had destroyed four cannons before the ensign came back on the radio, panic in his voice.

“Sir! What is happening? Are you being fired upon? Should we scramble the fighters?”

This is precisely what he had been telling Rey, Ben thought irritably as he shot the last starboard cannon. The only one with a brain was Hux, and he was pure evil. “No ensign, YOU are being fired upon. Call General Hux to the bridge immediately.” He looped around the bridge and headed back towards the nose, firing on the port cannons. None of the retaliatory fire came anywhere near him. As he glanced ahead, counting the number of cannons left, he saw the X-wings appear, and heaved a sigh of relief. A small part of him had feared that they weren’t going to show up. He saw one break from the group and come speeding towards him, and even before he heard the voice over his radio he knew who it was.

“Ren seven, this is Red leader. You just lost me ten credits. Don’t expect to steal all the glory too.” Ben chuckled, and he and Poe took out the last six cannons in under five seconds, meeting in the middle and breaking off in opposite directions. As he turned toward the bridge of The Dominance again, Ben saw TIE fighters approaching quickly, though not nearly as fast as they should have been.

“Red squad, this is Red leader. Enemy fighters coming in. Keep your buddy close and don’t let them get behind you.”

Ben left the rebels to speed back to the bridge: there was one thing he needed to do before The Falcon arrived and destroyed the ship. He flew to the left side of the bridge and decelerated, flying sideways so that he was looking into the bridge, and close enough that he could be seen. He flipped his cockpit lights on so that he was fully illuminated, and saw Hux standing front and center, hands behind his back and looking livid.

There were a full three seconds of eye contact between them, and Ben saw his former general’s face pale and fill with rage as he realized that he had been betrayed. Feeling that it was probably overkill, but not caring, he made a rude hand gesture and grinned. As Hux turned to scream an order, Ben fired on the bridge, blowing out the glass and sucking the ship’s leaders into space.

Ben spun back around and found himself in the middle of a furious dogfight. He picked off the nearest two fighters and darted in and out of the fray, shooting any black ship that came near him. He noticed that the First Order pilots still seemed reluctant to approach him, to their own downfall. He heard the other Resistance pilots shouting back and forth over the radio and largely ignored the chatter until he heard a woman’s voice, shrill with fear.

“Red two, you have three on your tail. Red two! Finn!”

Ben looked around quickly and spotted the lone X-wing, three fighters close behind, zig-zagging across the sky. He shot towards them and saw another X-wing break off with him, Poe’s voice roaring in his ear. 

“Red two, draw them this way!”

All four ships swerved to face them and he and Poe moved up, Poe shooting the two ships on the right, Ben taking the one on the left.

“Red two, Red leader. You’re my buddy, remember? Stay with me.”

Smiling at the open affection in the man’s voice, Ben flew back to the thick of the fight. The Falcon had appeared, and was swooping toward the Dreadnought, moving to position itself above the center of the ship, which was slowly turning to face the nearby planet. “Red squad, this is Red seven. Draw the enemy fighters away from The Falcon. General, wait until The Dominance is on course for the planet before dropping the bomb.”

He watched the X-wings break off in all directions, staying in pairs, leading the Tie fighters away from the larger ships. He stayed with The Falcon and picked off the few intelligent pilots who had stayed with their command ship. After that it was like clockwork: the ventral hatch of The Falcon opened a few meters above The Dominance. The bomb, propelled by something that looked suspiciously like a fire extinguisher, barreled into the center of the dreadnought as The Falcon shot away.

The explosion was mesmerizing, and Ben was distracted for a moment by the spreading flames. The inferno looked like a living thing as the ship’s oxygen supply vented and turned into spirals of fire. He was not the only one affected: the fighting had stopped as rebels and First Order pilots alike watched the conflagration pick up speed as it entered the planet’s atmosphere. Ben jumped as orders came through the radio.

“Red squad, clean them up.”

Within a minute, it was over. The last TIE fighter exploded and the coms system erupted in cheers. They hadn’t lost a single ship.

“Red seven, this is Red leader. That was a hell of a plan. Welcome to the Resistance.”

* * * 

The stop back at the deserted Imperial base was brief. One X-wing was damaged enough that Poe wasn’t confident it would make a second trip at lightspeed, so it was abandoned. Ben wasn’t quite sure how it happened, but the pilot of the damaged ship, Finn, took Poe’s X-wing, Poe was clearly itching to fly the silencer, and Ben found himself a passenger on The Falcon. After they took off again, he realized they probably still didn’t trust him enough to tell him where they were going, and so he was surprised when his mother did.

“The current rebel base is on a jungle moon orbiting a gas giant. There were already buildings, supplies and some ships there, so it seemed like a good option in the short term.”

Ben stared at her, equal parts aghast and amused at her daring. “You set up the rebel base, the entirety of the Rebellion, on Yavin 4? Well, you’re right. I never would have guessed you had the nerve to go back there.”

Leia looked at him thoughtfully. “We have a lot to learn about each other, don’t we?”

* * * 

By the time The Falcon’s ramp was lowered, most of the X-wing pilots were out of their ships, and there was quite a lot of screaming, cheering and hugging. Ben was surprised at the number of people in the hanger; he has been under the impression that the rebels had been nearly wiped out, but there were at least a hundred joyful faces around him. He saw Poe and Finn grinning and standing with a group of friends, and watched as a young woman ran up to Rose and kissed her fiercely. And then his heart leapt into his throat, because Rey had run into the hanger, looking scared but determined. She went straight for Poe and Finn and Ben moved toward her as if in a dream.

She was carrying her newly finished lightsaber, and Ben’s chest swelled with pride as he admired the enormous, double-bladed weapon: as long as her quarterstaff, but bright blue and far more deadly. He was aware enough to give it a wide berth as he came up behind her. She must have asked Poe what was going on, because he was saying, “destroyed another dreadnought and an entire base this time. Their headquarters, I think.”

Ben saw Rey sway at this and reached out to catch her, but she steadied herself. He voice was tight when she spoke. “How did you find them? Do you know if… if Kylo Ren was on that ship?”

Poe caught sight of Ben and smirked. “We had some very good information. All thanks to our newest recruit.” He gestured over Rey’s shoulder and she turned. Ben couldn’t keep the grin from his face, and watched with enjoyment as it took her a few seconds to register who he was and what he was wearing. Her eyes grew huge and her grip on the lightsaber slackened, one end dropping to carve a long divot in the hanger floor.

“Ben?”


	7. Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grad school was extra intense this week, so this is just a teaser for the final chapter, I'm afraid. Soon, I promise!

Rey was training in the forest when she heard screams and the roar of landing ships from the direction of the hanger. Instead of neatly trimming a twig from a tree with her lightsaber, she cut straight through the trunk, severing it a few feet above the ground. Before the tree hit earth, she was gone, sprinting through the forest, stomach in knots. When she had gone looking for Finn, Poe and Rose that morning she noticed that the base was much more empty than usual, and a radio tech had informed her that a secret mission was being executed. She was more than a little irritated that she had been left at home, especially when she saw that Chewie and The Falcon were gone as well. She hated the idea of all the people she cared about being in a fight without her there. And a part of her heart clenched at the thought of what they might be attacking, and if Ben was involved.

Whatever there was between them was so new, and the thought of telling anyone else about it so shameful, that she was sick at the thought of how she might behave if she found out he had been killed. At least if her friends died she could grieve for them openly. She hoped that if it came down to a fight between one of them and Ben that he would consider her feelings, but she didn’t know if his newfound compassion extended beyond herself. He was still the Supreme Leader of the First Order, the ultimate enemy to be defeated, and if it was necessary for the survival of the Rebellion, he would need to be destroyed.

Rey had paced the halls of the base for a while, working herself into a frenzy of worry. She went to the infirmary and talked to Jasmine for a few minutes, which didn’t help. Jasmine, the cheerful medic who had nursed Rose back to health and then, to everyone’s surprise, had stolen Rose’s heart as well, was just as nervous as Rey was. She was manically cleaning the infirmary, empty now, and overcompensated for the silence by being louder and more jocular than usual. Rey finally fled to the forest and practiced using her lightsaber, first with one blade and then with both. By the time the ships started landing she was drenched in sweat.

Rey saw The Falcon first when she reached the hanger, the ramp just beginning to drop. She caught sight of Finn and Poe and raced to them, and saw Jasmine run from inside the base and sweep Rose into a passionate embrace. Rey’s heart lifted as she took them all in, safe and sound, but their joy could only mean that a major victory had taken place, which did not bode well for Ben. She reached them as the women broke for air, and heard Poe laughing. “How come you never greet me like that, buddy?” Finn rolled his eyes and smiled at Rey, who was panting.

“I was so worried about you! Where have you been? Was there a battle?”

Poe threw his arm around Finn’s shoulder and grinned like a fool. “A battle? I’ll say there was! No casualties except an old X-wing, and we destroyed another dreadnought AND an entire base this time. Their headquarters, I think.”

Rey felt her stomach turn to ice and her knees buckle, but she remained upright. He couldn’t be dead. Surely, after all this, with this incredible connection between them, surely she would know if he had died. She had felt Luke leave his body and become one with the Force, and it had hurt her. If Ben had been killed it should have felt as though her heart was being torn from her chest. She forced her face into a semblance of calm and her voice to be steady, even as she shrieked internally.

“How did you find them? Do you know if…”, she made herself say the name she hated, not the name of the person he truly was, “if Kylo Ren was on the ship?”

Poe looked behind her and smirked. “We had some very good information. All thanks to our newest recruit.” He gestured over Rey’s shoulder and she turned, preparing herself to hate whoever this new person was, if they had brought about the death of someone she cared about so deeply. Someone she loved, she realized, as her eyes met the chest of a very tall someone in an X-wing flight suit. She loved Ben Solo, and if he had died before she could tell him that, she would never forgive herself.

She looked up into the face of the person standing behind her, and felt her brain short circuit. She couldn’t reconcile the features with the expression, let alone the outfit. This person had Ben’s wavy hair, brown eyes and full mouth, but he was smiling broadly, looking utterly carefree. He was also wearing bright orange and white, which was about as far from unrelieved black as one could get. Her voice, to her own ears, sounded like it was coming from a long way off.

“Ben?”


	8. Union

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe that this idea I had turned into an almost 16,000 word story, but there it is. This is for Dave, who inspires everything I do, and AlexC, who left the single best comment I've ever had on one of my stories.  
> I hope you all like the conclusion, and who knows, there may be more updates in the future.
> 
> xoxoxo

In her shock, Rey’s grip on her lightsaber slackened, and one end dropped to the floor, carving a long divot in the cement. Poe and Finn yelled and jumped back, and she was grateful for the distraction – no one had heard her slip and mention Ben’s name. She was clearly hallucinating: the stress and worry had affected her more than she realized. Or, Ben wasn’t dead and was instead standing here in front of her, unseen by anyone else, and wouldn’t now be a great time to let everyone know she had a special connection with the Supreme Leader they were all supposed to be trying to kill?

She deactivated her lightsaber, attached it to her belt, and turned to Finn. “I’m sorry, I was just surprised. Who did you say helped you?”

Finn looked surprised and a little worried, and he wasn’t the only one. She glanced back at where the Ben-vision was and he had stopped smiling, eyebrows raised in concern. Poe coughed to get her attention.

“Um, he’s standing right behind you, you’re looking at him. Pretty sure you’ve met before. Apparently he’s going by Ben Solo now.”

Rey shook her head in the hope that it would knock some sense back into the conversation. She was either dreaming, or coping very badly with shock. Maybe she was dead – that could explain the nonsensical quality to the situation. A hand softly touched her arm and she heard General Organa’s voice.

“Rey, the man you know as Kylo Ren is also my… my son, Ben Solo. I thought you knew that.”

Rey turned and gazed into Leia’s face, trying to find some stability. “Yes, I did. But what…”

“He will be tried, of course, by an independent tribunal. I think that his actions today, in addition to how useful he is and how few of us there are, will save him from the death penalty. Maybe life on parole and community service. 

Rey felt faint. “I don’t understand what’s going on here.” Desperate to know if she had in fact lost her mind, she dropped her voice to a whisper. “Is he standing right behind me? Can you see him too?”

Leia’s face cleared and she nodded in sudden understanding. “Ahh. I thought there was some connection. Yes, he is here, much to everyone’s surprise, I assure you. It seems he has defected from the First Order. Quite spectacularly, actually.”

Rey’s jaw dropped and she looked back at Ben again, who smiled hesitantly back at her. Leia continued. “He contacted me personally and gave us information that lead to the destruction of a major base. And took part in the attack himself. I was under the impression he did it for you.”

“What?!”

Ben finally spoke, reddening and having difficulty meeting Rey’s eyes. “Um, no, I didn’t, actually. I mean, that helped, of course, but it was for… me, really. You were right about me, not belonging to the Dark. I didn’t join Snoke for power, I did it for revenge, and to bring order and balance. But that was never going to happen with the First Order. And maybe that’s something that’s out of my control anyway. I just know that I don’t belong there, and that they need to be stopped. So I decided to… help.” He shrugged, looking awkward and apologetic.

Poe leaned toward Rey, having enjoyed the drama immensely so far. “Trust me, none of us believed it either. But… he wasn’t lying about the base, and he did lead the attack.” Poe glanced at Finn, a rare seriousness on his face. “And he helped save Finn’s life. Which maybe makes up for the fact that he tried to kill him the last time they met.” Finn looked like he very much disagreed, but said nothing.

And Rey finally – finally – believed what she was hearing. Forgetting where she was, and who she was with, she took one shaky step toward Ben and then flung herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing any part of his face within reach. He was no less surprised than anyone else watching (he vaguely heard some choice words coming from Finn and Rose), but he recovered faster, wrapping one arm around her back, cupping her neck with his other hand, and crushing his lips to hers.

It was nothing like their other kisses. When she had touched him through the Force, there had always been a slight buzz, an unreal quality that never let her forget that he was really lightyears away. That paled in comparison to feeling the warmth and solidity of his body holding hers, the arm around her ribs squeezing so hard it hurt. Completely overwhelmed, she felt tears coming to her eyes and clung to him tighter, not wanting to spoil the moment with weeping. Eventually, needing oxygen, they broke apart, dazed and panting. Ben gently lowered her to the ground and she began to blush, seeing the shock and fascination on the faces around her. She turned to Leia, who looked simultaneously amused and nauseated.

Rey was breathless. “General, permission to be…”

Leia didn’t let her finish. “Yes, please, go away. All of you young people. Go celebrate, in private. Quietly!” she added, as a few people ran away, giggling. “Or is that asking too much?”

Rey heard Finn snicker and Jasmine hissed, “It is, if Poe is doing any of the celebrating.” She didn’t hear any more of the conversation because she was half-leading, half-dragging Ben out of the hanger. When they reached the deserted hallway, she wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him so hard he gasped, “Hey, still need to breathe!” She loosened her grip but didn’t let go.

“I can’t believe you’re really here. I’m afraid you’re going to disappear again.”

He rested his cheek on top of her head and hugged her back. “I won’t. Not ever.”

Rey reached up and pulled his face to hers, kissing him deeply. She backed him up against a wall and stood on tip toes, while he ran his hands lazily up and down her back. She was just pressing her hips to his and he was pulling her tight against him when a loud, perpetually agitated voice spoke in her ear.

“Master Ben! So good to see you again!”

They yanked themselves away from each other in surprise and stared at C-3PO, who still hadn’t learned the human concept of personal space, inches away from them.

“I must say, I am surprised to see you here! I had calculated the odds of your return as 3,41…”

Rey grabbed Ben’s hand and took off down the hallway, their pounding feet mingling with the long string of numbers 3PO was still reciting. Running while holding hands was difficult so she let go, and they raced side by side through the base, stopping only when they reached Rey’s room, tucked at the end of a long corridor of supply rooms.

“Nightmares.” Rey shrugged, in explanation of her lack of neighbors, and opened her door, letting Ben walk in ahead of her. As soon as she closed the door behind her she found herself lifted and pinned to it, his hands tight on her hips and one knee in between her thighs to support her. He pressed his chest to hers and was about to kiss her again when she gasped in pain. He immediately leaned back, looking worried.

“Too much? Did I hurt you?” 

“No, it’s fine, it’s the control panel on this stupid suit. Just take it off.”

Ben raised his eyebrows. “You want me to take my clothes off? Are you sure?”

Rey grabbed the front of his suit and pulled him forward until they were nose to nose. “I spent the last few hours terrified, thinking you might be dead. I never could have imagined you would be here right now, and what you did to get here. Yes, I’m definitely sure I want you to take your clothes off. Right now.”

Ben grinned at her and lowered her to the floor, giving her a quick kiss before removing his flight suit so quickly she giggled. He tried to give her a stern look but failed miserably. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it was rude to laugh at a man when he was getting naked?”

Rey laughed harder. “No one ever had the occasion to. Besides, you aren’t naked yet.”

He stood in front of her, looking completely relaxed in nothing but his briefs. “Neither are you, unfortunately.”

Rey raised her eyebrows, feigning surprise. “What? You want me to take my clothes off, too?”

“Personally, I’d prefer that you never wear anything ever again, but that probably isn’t practical.”

Rey laughed again and pulled her shirt over her head, then kicking off her boots. As her hands went to her waistband she glanced at Ben’s face. His eyes were wide and his lips were slightly parted, and she realized that he hadn’t actually seen her entirely naked before. Holding his gaze, she slowly pulled her leggings off, and was gratified when he breathed an unconscious “wow” of appreciation. She stepped toward him and put her hands on his chest, letting her fingers explore the muscles underneath them. His hands went to her hips and he swallowed hard.

“You’re, um. Stunning. Truly.”

She smiled at him and leaned up to kiss him gently, trailing kisses up his cheek to his ear, into which she whispered, “Why do you still have clothes on?”

Ben laughed, the first she had ever heard from him. It was practically a giggle, surprised and happy, and Rey was so taken aback she simply stared at him. He blushed at the smile that spread across her face, and she wrapped her arms around him in reassurance. “You do have a nice laugh. I thought you would.”

He smiled in understanding and pulled her to him, kissing her deeply, their bodies pressed together from lips to knees. They stood there for a long time, until they were both trembling with desire and Rey was unabashedly grinding her hips against Ben’s. She finally ran her hands down his sides and began to pull his waistband down, so that he broke the kiss with a chuckle and removed his briefs. They looked hard at each other for a moment, as if memorizing the view, in case they never saw it again.

Rey reached out with one hand and hesitated, looking to Ben for permission. “Can I…?”

He nodded, unable to speak, and shuddered when she wrapped her hand around his cock. She was surprised at how soft the skin was when the flesh underneath felt so rigid, and marveled at the heat. She stroked him a few times, getting a feel for these new sensations, and grinned when he moaned and grabbed her wrist.

“Rey. Tell me what you want.”

She smiled at him in pure, honest happiness. “You.”

He smiled back and she thought her chest might burst with love. “I’m yours. What do you want me to do?” 

Ben glanced at the bed, and looked back at her, eyebrows raised. Rey blushed a little and looked at the floor. “I was actually thinking about, uh, that dream I had. We had. Could we maybe…” Before she could finish her sentence he was sitting in the chair, wiggling slightly to test the strength. Then he held out his hand to her and pulled her to him. She sat carefully in his lap, straddling his hips, and inched closer until she felt his length press against her. They both shivered. She rocked experimentally and couldn’t stifle her moan as he slid against her. Ben dropped his head to her shoulder, hands like a vice on her hips, and groaned into her neck, lips tickling her skin.

“Are you sure you want to do this now? We don’t have to.”

She rocked again and heard him curse quietly as he pulled her tighter against him. “I’m sure.  Really, really sure.”

Rey held out her hand and the tube of gel she kept under her bed flew to meet it. He lifted his head and stared at her as she squeezed some into her hand and then stroked it along his cock, slicking her already burning core in the process. They were both breathing heavily and she was surprised at his presence of mind when he suddenly asked, “Wait, do you have any, uh, way to prevent…”

Rey felt herself go a little red in the face. “Yea, I got an implant. A few weeks ago.” Ben raised his eyebrows at this and she blushed harder. “I was hoping.”

He gazed at her for a long moment, like he couldn’t quite believe that she was real. He kissed her hard, gasping when she wrapped her hand around him again. She raised herself up on her toes and positioned his cock at her entrance. His hands tightened on her hips again, preventing her from moving, and he looked her in the eye, his voice deep and serious.

“Rey. I love you.”

Rey smiled at him. “I know.”

He opened his mouth to respond but all that came out was a groan as she sank slowly down, coming to rest in his lap, his cock buried deep inside her. For a few seconds, they simply sat there, trembling in each other’s arms. Rey was grateful he was giving her time to adjust, though judging by the look on his face it was costing him dearly. His shaft was considerably larger than even his fingers, and while it wasn’t painful, she felt uncomfortably full at first. She raised and lowered her hips and felt the back of her neck prickle as discomfort rapidly turned to pleasure.

She rocked against him a few more times, beginning to tremble again, and caught sight of Ben’s face. His eyes were tightly shut, his jaw clenched and his chest heaving. Testing a theory, Rey squeezed her inner muscles and his eyes flew open as he cried out. He looked shocked at the pleased grin on her face.

“You’re a tease. I never would have guessed it. I can do that too, you know.”

Rey groaned as he lifted her, either with the Force or his own strength, she wasn’t sure, and brought his mouth to her breast, wrapping his lips around one nipple and flicking his tongue against it. Countering this gentle caress, he pulled her hips back down hard, thrusting against that spot that made her see stars. She held onto his shoulders as they found a rhythm, working together to guide her up and down his length. She was moaning with abandon, as was he, but she vaguely felt like something was missing.

As she slid down him again she felt his cock jerk inside her and she gasped in pleasure. She rocked again and this time Ben grabbed her hips to stop her moving, even as they both moaned, his cock twitching hard against that exquisitely sensitive point inside her.

“Wait, just stop for a minute.”

“Why? That feels amazing, what are you doing?”

He looked embarrassed. “It’s because I’m really close. Just don’t move until I can control myself, please.”

Rey’s mouth twitched and she kissed him, running her fingers through his hair. “I can think of some things you can do to distract yourself.”

Taking the hint immediately, he ran his hand down her chest and into her lap, thumb finding her clit at once. Rey shuddered and closed her eyes, forcing herself to be still while he took her apart with his fingers. Every circle he rubbed pushed her closer to the edge, and she felt like every fiber of her being was concentrating on that one bundle of nerves. In very little time she was trembling and grinding her hips into his. She felt him throb inside her again and gasped, teetering on the brink of orgasm. She met his eyes, glazed with pleasure, and begged for mercy.

“Ben! Please, please, I need to move, kriff, I’m gonna…”

His breathing was harsh but he smiled slightly and his fingers never stopped circling her clit. “Yeah, ok, come on. Cum for me, Rey. Force, you feel so good.”

She moaned as she slid up and down slowly, both of them beginning to shake. She repeated this a handful of times until one particularly deep thrust made Ben’s eyes roll back in his head as he gasped her name. As it had before, hearing her name, combined with the hard throb she felt inside her and the unending stimulation on her clit, pushed her over the edge.

She felt her body contract around his, thighs clamping around his hips and arms around his shoulders as she came, so hard her vision went grey and her ears rang. She felt Ben’s entire body stiffen and then go slack as his cock pulsed deep within her, and he held her tight to her chest and gasped in her ear, “I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.” She thought she felt a ripple of energy roll outward from where they were deeply connected, making them both shudder again and cling to each other all the more.

They stayed like that for a long time, one overstimulated tangle of nerves and sweaty limbs, eyes closed, trembling and kissing any bit of skin they could reach. Rey gave a full body shiver, suddenly chilled, and opened her eyes. The room was darker than she expected and Ben’s sleepy, satisfied smile was in shadow. She looked around, blinking in confusion.

“What happened to the lights?” 

* * * 

In a room in another wing of the base, a very naked Finn stuck his head out his door and peered up and down the hallway. He retreated into the room and climbed back in bed.

“Must have been a power surge, all the lights are out. Your hair is still sticking up. You don’t think it was some kind of weapon, do you? An EMP?”

Poe stretched lazily, running one hand up Finn’s thigh. “Nah. Probably just some Jedi sex thing.”

Finn clapped a hand over his eyes and groaned. “Tarkin’s teeth, I can’t know that! Ugh.”

Poe laughed and pulled Finn toward him.

“I could stand to hear a little more about Stormtrooper sex things.”

* * *

Ben lay curled around Rey, a blanket pulled over them both. He ran a hand up and down her arm and kissed the back of her neck, making her shiver and giggle.

“That was amazing. I had no idea. But… don’t judge me. I’m starving. I’m going to find some food.”

Rey laughed and sat up, swinging her legs out of bed.

“I’ll do it. There are probably some people here who would try to kill you on sight. And I’ll find you some other clothes. This suit is dreadful.” As she spoke she pulled her shirt over her head. “I love you, but the color orange _definitely_ does not.” She turned to him, grinning, and found him sitting up in bed, staring at her.

“What did you just say?”

Rey reviewed the previous ten seconds. “That there are some rebels who might still want to kill you? Or that orange is not your color? Because it really isn’t.”

Ben looked a little stunned, but also like he must have misheard her. “I thought… never mind. I thought you said you, um… loved me.”

“Oh!” Rey flushed scarlet and covered her mouth with both hands. “Kriff! I didn’t say it before, did I? I’m sorry, that’s not how I meant to do it. I just thought you… knew already.” She moved back to the bed and took his face, which was slowly breaking into a huge smile, in her hands. “I love you, Ben Solo.”

Ben grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back into the bed. Rey squealed in surprise. “I thought you were hungry! I won’t be gone long.”

He smiled down at her, looking happier than she ever could have imagined him being. “You’re not going anywhere.” Then his mouth found hers and they didn’t think about food again for a long, long time.


	9. Portraits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some portraits to accompany the story. The painting of Rey is the work of artist Anna Szwajgier (https://cylonka.deviantart.com). The image of Ben is my own photo manipulation.

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**Author's Note:**

> I hated the idea of Rey/Kylo Ren after The Force Awakens came out. At best I thought he might pull a Snape and redeem himself by using Han's death to convince Snoke of his loyalty, and killing him.  
> Then I saw The Last Jedi (three times, in the first week). Now all I want from 2019 is for Ben Solo to turn, have a bunch of Force-sensitive babies with Rey, and together they start the Jedi anew.


End file.
